Joel Embiid, the star of the Philadelphia 76ers, suffered a terrible looking knee injury during his return to action
Philadelphia 76ers star center Joel Embiid missed the past two games with knee soreness. He was able to return to the court Tuesday night against the Golden State Warriors in Northern California.
In hindsight, that might not have been the best decision for Philadelphia. The NBA MVP favorite did not look anywhere near 100% throughout the game, hitting on 5-of-18 from the field.
Embiid also had to exit late in the fourth quarter after being caught up in a scrum with Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga. As you will see below, the star center was down in pain holding his left knee. Embiid almost immediately made his way to the locker room with a considerable limp.
As you can see, Kuminga land directly on Embiid’s left knee. It led to the star big man immediately clutching for it.
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76ers vs. Warriors instant breakdown: Joel Embiid looks shaky in return
The battered and bruised Philadelphia 76ers (29-17) played the Golden State Warriors (20-24) in the second night of a road back-to-back. Joel Embiid returned and looked nothing like himself as the Sixers lost 119-107 for their fourth consecutive defeat, the longest skid of the season.
Let’s break down the 76ers’ first matchup of the season with the Nuggets.
Embiid returned after missing the last two games but looked as though he should have waited. It didn’t look like he had the springiness to get into his middie jumpers. He hobbled and limped at numerous points in the game. While his defense in the paint and his playmaking made a real difference, he was a galaxy away from his best form. There’s a very good chance that he goes back to being sidelined after playing through his injury and possibly hyperextending his knee on a play late in the game.
No. 30 bombed away from deep time after time and drained shot after shot. The way he got the Sixers’ offense looking somewhat competent was monumental with all the injuries working against Philly. It was a tough night to have his best game of the season, as his efforts were overshadowed by Embiid’s return and the fallout from it.
Jaden Springer: 10 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 4 steals 4-7 FG shooting
Springer’s defense and hustle were game-changing for the Sixers tonight. He shot the ball very well, showing competency off the bounce and taking the threes that came to him. Especially for his efforts against the Warriors’ superstar, he proved to the coaching staff that his defense should earn him semi-regular minutes.
Curry razzle-dazzled his way to a stellar scoring output. He hit crazy shots like they were nothing and scrambled the 76ers’ defense by being used as a screener, forcing difficult decisions when it came to switching. Those threes only he can shoot just kept going in.
Some road trip this has been, huh? The 76ers have lost three games, most recently in a total collapse against the Portland Trail Blazers, and gained nothing more than more injuries. The New York Knicks even usurped them for the third seed in an earlier win. Now Nico Batum is dealing with a hamstring issue that has ruled him out in addition to Tyrese Maxey, Marcus Morris Sr., De’Anthony Melton and Robert Covington. Fortunately, the big man returned after missing the previous two games.
The game got off to a riveting start when Draymond Green fouled Embiid on the jump ball. Nick Nurse had Danuel House Jr. start AND guard Curry. Green picked up a second foul early in the game as Curry got to work, dicing through the defense and splashing jumpers to give the Dubs an early lead. Jonathan Kuminga pitched in with some impressive, grown-man drives.
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